The plot was moving rapidly toward its next nexus: Shrek Academy. Lin Feng, already Level 23, had no time to waste in a primary school. He set his sights on the next core member of his team: the dark, secretive assassin, Zhu Zhuqing.
Lin Feng knew that Zhu Zhuqing, fleeing her politically dangerous engagement with Dai Mubai and seeking power to survive, would soon arrive in Soto City, near the site of the dilapidated Shrek Academy. He used the IFS to perform a long-distance, one-time fusion: he fused a piece of his hair with the 'Concept of Absolute Accuracy' and used it to send a small, fused communication pellet toward the direction of Soto City, predicting her path.
The message was simple, cryptic, and designed to appeal to her desperation: "Seek the White Ring Genius. He holds the key to the Shadow God's power and your freedom from the White Tiger's constraint."
Lin Feng then informed the Grandmaster that the limitations of the primary academy were stifling his Pure Quality Ring development. He convinced the Grandmaster that only the most unorthodox, high-pressure, and resource-intensive environment—one that encouraged rapid, near-fatal advancement—could continue his study. The Grandmaster, desperate to see the next stage of his theory proven, readily agreed to find a suitable location.
A week later, Lin Feng and Xiao Wu, having traveled to Soto City with the Grandmaster's enthusiastic backing, found Zhu Zhuqing. She was initially suspicious, her cold eyes analyzing the young genius and his devoted companion. She approached Lin Feng in a deserted alley, her Phantom Cat Martial Soul energy coiled tightly.
"You sent the message," she stated, her voice icy. "Prove you know anything about my power or my contract."
Lin Feng didn't flinch. He used his Fusion Vision to look past her external power and directly into the core of her despair. He saw the spiritual chains of her forced engagement with Dai Mubai and the inherited weakness in her speed-focused Martial Soul.
"Your Phantom Cat is limited by a genetic flaw: too much speed, not enough raw shadow power," Lin Feng said, his tone authoritative and confident. "Your contract with Dai Mubai is a political shackle designed to bleed your strength. I can break the shackle and grant you power that turns your cat into a true Shadow Divine Beast."
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. No one, not even the masters of her clan, had identified the inherent flaw in her Martial Soul. She looked at him with renewed intensity, assessing the Level 23 aura and the baffling, powerful White Rings.
"The price," she demanded.
Lin Feng looked at her, his expression utterly sincere. "The price is simple: Loyalty and Devotion. I do not accept partners; I accept equals who commit to my path. Join my team. Your speed will become untouchable, your shadow power absolute, and your destiny will be your own. I will personally fuse your spirit with the Essence of Absolute Shadow."
Zhu Zhuqing, whose entire motivation was the pursuit of power and control over her own life, saw an absolute promise in his eyes—a promise backed by the undeniable, terrifying anomaly of his own cultivation. She knelt on one knee, a rare, profound gesture for her proud lineage.
"I accept your bargain, Fusion Master. My life and my shadow belong to your path."
Lin Feng smiled. His core team was expanding, and the foundations of the Shrek Seven Devils Reversal were set.